NJ Lt. Gov. Asked To Resign After Sex Harassment Claims

By Hailey Konnath

An independent investigation conducted by Lowenstein Sandler LLP has determined that New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale G. Caldwell sexually harassed a staffer's friend and sent inappropriate text messages, according to a statement from Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who called for his resignation Thursday.

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NJ Says Report Can't Show Benefits Theft Case Was Targeted

By George Woolston

New Jersey told a state appeals court Thursday that it shouldn't have to collect more than a decade of internal investigative findings in its prosecution of two elected officials for allegedly unlawfully obtaining state health benefits, arguing that the defendants failed to meet the required threshold to warrant selective prosecution discovery.

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Rutgers Law Debuts Online JD With Vision Of Greater Access

By Jake Maher

Rutgers Law School is rolling out an online J.D. program for next school year in a move that the school says will expand access to legal education for a growing market of students looking for flexible options.

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Labcorp Inks $2.3M Deal To Resolve Multistate Data Breach

By Carla Baranauckas

Labcorp will pay nearly $2.3 million and adopt data security changes under a multistate settlement resolving investigations into a 2019 breach at its former debt collection vendor, a group of state attorneys general announced Thursday.

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AGs Push Congress To Regulate AI But Not Preempt State Laws

By Brian Steele

Nearly half the attorneys general in the United States implored Congress in a letter Thursday to "immediately" regulate the artificial intelligence industry and prohibit federal action from preempting state laws, telling U.S. House and Senate leaders that national security is at stake.

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3rd Circ. Eyes 'Compromise' Instruction In Equal Pay Case

By P.J. D'Annunzio

A Third Circuit panel on Thursday appeared to take issue with a district judge's suggestion that a jury "compromise" in reaching a verdict in favor of female teachers who alleged Central Bucks School District paid them less than a male colleague.

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Thriving Rivals Disprove Hillrom Antitrust Suit, 3rd Circ. Told

By Matthew Santoni

Hill-Rom Holdings Inc. told the Third Circuit on Thursday a Pennsylvania hospital had no evidence the equipment supplier illegally sidelined competitors from the hospital bed market, noting its deals tying discounts to exclusivity hadn't put multiple rivals out of business.

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Paramount Judge Won't 'Rubber Stamp' States' Merger Deal

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge questioned state enforcers Thursday about the details of their proposed settlement to resolve antitrust litigation challenging Paramount Skydance's planned $110 billion purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery, telling counsel, "The court isn't a rubber stamp," and "I've got questions, and I'm not the only one."

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Real Estate Tech Co. Can Access $3M Of Ch. 11 Financing

By Vince Sullivan

Bankrupt real estate technology company House Canary received interim approval Thursday in New Jersey court to access Chapter 11 financing being provided by an existing lender, freeing up $3 million in liquidity as the business pursues a 60-day plan confirmation track.

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Summer Camp Co. Says $19M Lien Targets Wrong Ch. 11 Case

By Emlyn Cameron

Summer camp company SIMAD Holdings asked a New Jersey bankruptcy judge Thursday to nix a roughly $18.7 million claim lodged by a New York-based credit union, saying the relevant lien has to do with property in a different bankruptcy.

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4 Tips On Expert Gatekeeping From J&J Talc Deal

Johnson & Johnson's successful campaign to exclude plaintiff-side oncologist testimony about whether its talcum powder caused ovarian cancer, which prompted the recent resolution of 70,000 claims, offers lessons on how product liability defendants can reshape risk calculation by rigorously applying expert admissibility rules, say attorneys at Hollingsworth.

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Series

Playing Bid Whist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

As a child, I viewed bid whist as a family tradition and a source of friendly card game competition, but as a lawyer, I see it as a tool that has helped me cultivate skills like communication, teamwork, risk assessment and composure, says Keyonn Pope at Riley Safer.

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Litigation Spending To Keep Climbing While Biz Risks Mount

By Ryan Boysen

Big companies will increase their litigation budgets yet again next year, as navigating legal risk is now an essential element of achieving strategic business goals, according to a new report.

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Seyfarth Failed To Guard Client Data From Hack, Suit Alleges

By Lauren Berg

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on Thursday was hit with a proposed class action in Illinois federal court accusing it of failing to protect its current and former clients' personal information after the Chicago-based law firm this month disclosed a recent data breach.

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PACER Experiences Outages Of Some Court Dockets

By Matt Perez

PACER, the online public repository of federal court documents, experienced technical errors on Wednesday and Thursday preventing some users from accessing certain court dockets.

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New Eastern La. Judge's 5th Circ. Bid Goes To Full Senate

By Courtney Bublé

U.S. District Judge Anna St. John of the Eastern District of Louisiana, who was confirmed to her current post in March, is one step closer to being elevated to the federal appeals bench.

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Fla. Judge To Get Reprimand For Remark On Shooting Attys

By Madison Arnold

The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a public reprimand of a state district court judge for "intemperate and caustic" comments about shooting attorneys during a hearing.

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Congressional Probes Raise Legal, 'Reputational' Risks

By Phillip Bantz

An array of companies and executives may face investigations over their dealings with the Trump administration if Democrats take control of Congress, raising the possibility that some may refuse to comply. But experts say holding out hope for a mass pardon or expecting the Justice Department not to pursue contempt charges is a risky bet.

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Analysis

5 Circuit Splits To Watch At The High Court

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Supreme Court has been deciding fewer and fewer cases over the past three decades, with its caseload reaching a historic low just last term. While attorneys believe several factors have contributed to that trend, they say one of the most consequential is the court's apparent declining interest in resolving circuit splits. 

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Trump's Antitrust Pick Advances Amid Independence Worries

By Courtney Bublé

President Donald Trump's pick to lead the antitrust division at the U.S. Department of Justice advanced to the Senate floor on Thursday, despite Democratic concerns about agency independence.

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Sen. Hyde-Smith's Opponent Seeks Blue-Slip Transparency

By Courtney Bublé

Four years ago, Scott Colom — the son of the first African American elected to the chancery bench in her region of Mississippi — was nominated for a federal judgeship. Now he's running for Senate against the senator who blocked his confirmation.

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Ed. Dept. Committee Sidesteps ABA Accreditation Issue

By Ryan Boysen

A key U.S. Department of Education committee on Thursday declined to weigh in on whether an American Bar Association council should remain a federally recognized accreditor of law schools, a day after the panel deadlocked on different proposals over the hot-button issue.

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